Sealing of containers under negative or positive pressure



May 31, 1932. A c, KNIFE 1,860,583

SEALING OF CONTAINERS UNDER NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE PRESSURE Filed Feb. 13, 1929 Patented May 31, 1932 UNITED? STATES r rsNroFFic-E ARTHUR GYRIL KNIFE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND; .ASSIGNOR T0 MOIDERN CON CRETE DE VELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND- SEALING, OF CONTAINERS UNDER NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE PRESSURE Application filed February 13, 1929, Serial No. 339,709, and in Great Britain February 2c, 1928.

This invention relates to containers or receptacles wlthln whlch it ls'necessary from time to time, to produce and maintain negative or positive pressure conditions.

More particularly the invention has reference to cylindrical containers or receptacles which require to be kept in rotation and are fitted with central doors or cover plates that are periodically opened or closed.

,With such containers as are rotated by resting edgewise upon supporting rollers, and inwhich the removable cover plates are carried by independent fixtures and a hollow trunnion or trunnions are provided, the ultimate wear that may occur, i. e. relative movement between the container and the cover plates, due to the former dropping down, will interfere with, or break the vacuum or pressure desired.

The object of the invention hereinafter described is to prevent this leakage and allow the wear to be taken up and to provide a means of admitting or extracting fluids or air whilst retaining the self-aligning features of the covers.

The invention consists in rotary container having removableend cover plates in which a the trunnions attached to the said cover plates are so supported that relative movement may take place between the trunnions and their supporting arms to takeup displacements therebetween, due to wear or incorrect adjustments ofthe parts, thus maintaining the pressure conditions within the container.

The invention also consists in a rotary cement and concrete mixer having cover plates supported by trunnions carried fronr the a frame of the machine, in which the trunnions are carried by supporting means so as to maintain the interior. of the container vacuum-tight and'yet allow the parts to adjust themselves to take upwear or other-' wise. V

'The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention as applied to a concrete mixer in which it is desired to inter mittently produce a vacuum, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View partly in horizontal section of the mounting for' one of the side cover plates of a rotary mixer.

for the cover plate on theother side of the mixer, the vacuum connection being shown as passing through the trunnion. V

In carrying the inventionintoefiect and referring to Figure 1,.a is a portion of the rotary mixer where it is formed with its end The plate 6 forms one side of a hollow cup-u like member the other end plate of which is shown at 9 this latter member comprising an enclosing cap to close in the parts. The two plates e and g are connected together by transverse bolts h which pass through an annular member or distance piece between the two members and completing an enclosing casing. Vhthrn such casing there 1s arranged a self-aligning ball or roller bearing Z which is maintained in position on the trunnion d between the shoulder thereon and a securing Such enclosing casing is supported with. a certain amount of free play within an annular boss n, the centre part 0 of which extends inwards as an annular rib to fit between the cover plates 6 and g and the diameter of this annular boss n is substantially larger than the external diameter of the enclosing casing arranged therewithin.

The annular boss n is integral with or conr igure 2 is a similar view of the mounting a .nected to a supporting arm phinged at g upon a rigid part of the machine, whereby the cover plate and its trunnion fitting may I be swung bodily outwards from the containor 00. Should there be anywear that might tend to interfere with the vacuum within the container or should the parts he incorrectly adjusted, the play which is allowed between the annular boss and the innercasing permitsthe cover to be moved radially so that 'vacuum duct '1' which is led-transversely toa hollow hinge s which carries the supporting arm p which supports the trunnion.

The inner end of thehollow trunnion dis preferably formed as shown in dotted lines \vit-ha-"pairof concentric collarst and u respectively, connected together by an intermediate flangeuwhich is bolted upon therin terior of the cover plate b. "This is constructed generally ,in the .same way as indicated in F urell.

y meansof aspider frame 4; the trunnion tube t car'ries the mushroom shape inverted cup -w which is wholly contained within the outer concentric walllaand suclrmushroom platefits or passescdown into theannular recesses provided with the concentric collars t and u. whereby: the aggregate which .is contained within the receiverand is in a constant starte ofagitation, will not be permitted to choke Lthe endnofthel hollow trunnion as, it

passes into" the machine through its cover 1 plate.

'The inner end .ofnthei hollow trunnion (Z .is socketed to fitra central opening or orifice in the cover, plate" I). and the parts are bolted rupees shown.

AArranged'uponI the exterior ofthe cover plate :isan enclosing casing and annularboss '0 similarlyarranged to that shown in Figure 1-.and..'the:same'. letters are used forv the parts asnalready described. The annular boss 0 .ll'l this caseispfitted with a flange a the'purpose, of which isihereinafter described.

:Outwardlyof the enclosingwcasing the 1101- V llowt'runnion tube passes through a stufling box 2 and gland 2 which serves to keep the hollow trunnion air-tight and the stuffing isat its end extended outwardly at 3 to fform a flangeicorresponding to the flange m. [To prevent any" leakage ofv airinto the container the two Iflanges are utilized to support anien'clo'sing sleeve i of rubber,cby means ofjringsaso that .no air-can penetrate into "the space which surrounds the stuffing box 1 01112111 wall thus completely enclosing the stufi- ,andfrom thence. into thecontainer.

",Thevacuum ,duct 1 forms a part ofa cirl'ing' boxmn'd land. and: rubber sleeve4 and [the upper en ofsuch wall :is flan edat 7 which .is,.bolted,at 8 onto the-annu ar boss,

whichias stated, isiformed integral with or connected to the supporting arm 72.

f By the;foregoingdescription it willbe understoodi that the pressure conditions within the container will not be interfered with,-due

to leakage of air either into or out of the container in spite of wear that may have occurred and in spite of incorrect machining and adjustment of the parts since by radial adjustment of the cover in the annular boss 0 the coverplate can always be brought into proper register with the container a.

' The container a is quite free to revolve on the trunnions by means of the ball bearings provided and should any wear occur, the enclosing casing formed by the parts 11 g and will be permitted to move eccentrically by the plate provided between it and the annular boss 0 and any incorrect movement in the lining outof the supporting bracket will be corrected by the self'aligningofthe ball or V rollcr'.bearing.

It is notnecessary to use two such cover plates as described, since one maybe found sufiicient and that would be the form shown in Figure 2.

The system. described will work just as well with sub-atmospheric pressure as with superatmospheric pressure.

I claim i 1. A rotary container havinga removable Mend cover plate, a trunnion associated with said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for said cover plate, bearing means on the said trunnion for pivotally mounting the cover plate on the supporting arm, and means interposed between the supporting-arm and the trunnion bearing, permitting the cover plate to be moved in all directions in a plane at a right angle to theax-is of'the trunnion.

2. A rotary container having aremovable end cover plate, a trunnion associated with said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for said cover plate, a self aligning bearing on the said trunnion for pivotally mounting .the cover plate on the-supporting arm, a casing to contain the said bearing and means interposed between the supporting arm and the said casing permitting the cover plate to be moved in all directions in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the trunnion.

A rotary container having a removable end cover plate, a trunnion associated with said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for said cover plate, a self aligning bearing onthe said trunnion for pivotally, mounting thecover plate on the supporting arm, a casing to contain the said bearing, an annular boss of larger diameter than the said casing and surrounding the same, thereby permitting the cover plate to be moved in alldirections in a plane at a right angle to theaxis of the trunnion.

4. A rotary container having a removable end cover plate, a hollow trunnion associated with the said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for the said cover plate, bearing means on said hollow trunnion for pivotally mounting the cover plate on the supporting arm and means interposed between the supporting arm and the trunnion bearing, permitting the cover plate to be'moved in all directions in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the trun- IllOIl.

- 5. 'A rotary'container having a removable end cover plate, a hollow trunnion associated with the said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for the said cover plate, a. self aligning bearing on said trunnion for pivot-ally mountingthe cover plate on the supporting arm, a casing to contain the said bearing and means interposed between the supporting arm and the said casing, permitting the cover plate to be moved in all directions in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the trunnion. v 6. A rotary container having a removable A end cover plate, a hollow trunnion associated with the said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for the said cover plate, a self aligning bearing on said trunnion for pivotally mounting the cover plate on the supporting arm, a casing to contain the said bearing, an annular boss of larger diameter surrounding the said casing and carried by the supporting arm, the said bosspermitting the casing and with it the cover plate to move in all directions in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the trunnion.

7 A rotary container having a removable end cover plate, a jointing. gasket therefor, a hollow trunnion associated with said cover plate, a hinged supporting arm for said cover plate, a self aligning bearing on said trunnion for pivotally mounting the cover plate on the supporting arm, a casing to contain the said bearing, an annular boss of larger diameter surrounding the said casing and carried by the supporting arm, the said boss permitting the casing and with it the cover plate to move in all directions in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the trunnion, and means for preventing the intrusion of solid matter into the hollow trunnion.

8. A rotary container as claimed in claim 7, in which packing means are provided between the inner side of the casing and the trunnion, a stuffing box'and gland on the outer end of the trunnion and a rubber enclosing sleeve between the casing and the stufling box.

9. A rotary container having a removable end cover plate, a jointing gasket therefor, a hollow trunnion secured to said cover plate,

' a hinged supporting arm for said cover plate.

nion, packing means between the inner end of the casing and the trunnion, a stuifing box and gland on the outer end of the trunnion, a rubber enclosing sleeve surrounding the stuffing box and attached to the casing, a

cylindrical cover surrounding the rubber sleeve andcarried by the supporting arm the said cylindrical cover being provided with a vacuum duct communicating with the 1101-, low trunnion and the hinge of the support ing arm.

10. A rotary container having a removable end cover-plate, a hollow trunnion assocl 

